Common purchase plan based advertisement

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and computer program product are disclosed for selecting an advertisement for play on a specified device for one or more users. Each of the users has a defined relationship with the specified device, and has an information description stored on a mobile communications device. In one embodiment, the method comprises transmitting the respective information description of each of one or more users from the user&#39;s communications device to a provider server. The server analyzes one or more information descriptions to identify an advertisement for playing on the specified device. The specified device, in one embodiment, is a television. In an embodiment, advertisements are displayed based on common purchase profiles and common purchase plans among different people. The purchase plans may be sent to the television when the users are in a defined area or come within a given distance of the television.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of co-pending patent application Ser.No. 12/884,779, filed Sep. 17, 2010, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This invention generally relates to personalized or targetedadvertisements. More specifically, the invention relates to distributingsuch advertisements to a specific electronic media device, such as atelevision, based on user information sent to that media device by oneor more users who are watching or listening to that specific mediadevice.

Advertising has become extremely common. Businesses advertise goods andservices to consumers using print ads in newspapers and magazines,direct mail, telemarketing, television commercials, radio commercials,sponsorships, promotional offers, paid search results, banner adds onthe Internet, and in many other ways.

A television advertisement or commercial, for example, is a form ofadvertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. arepromoted via the medium of television. Most commercials are produced byan outside advertising agency, and airtime is purchased from atelevision channel or network. Usually, television advertisementsconsist of advertising spots, ranging in length from a few seconds toseveral minutes, appearing between shows or show segments. Thisadvertising method has been used over the years to sell differentproducts, from household products to goods and services to politicalcampaigns. This method of screening advertisements is intended tocapture the attention of the audience, keeping the viewers focused onthe television show so that they may watch the advertisements whilewaiting for the next segment of the show. Despite the general success ofadvertising, many specific advertisements are shown to uninterestedviewers who are not currently interested in the advertised goods orservices.

Given the importance and expense of advertising and the increasingdifficulty in reaching the desired audience, extensive efforts have beenmade to provide advertising that is targeted to specific individuals anddeliverable to these individuals in a more effective manner. Suchpersonalized advertising generally involves obtaining information abouta user's behavior or the media content that is viewed by the user andidentifying advertisements to present to the user based on theinformation.

Certain targeted advertising schemes are being developed where the userprovides personal information that identifies preferences foradvertisements of a particular type, style, with particular content, andthe like. As the specificity of the personal information increases, theeffectiveness of selecting advertisements of interest for the userincreases. For example, a user may provide personal information thatindicates they are interested in cooking, travel, and automobiles, andbased on the personal information, cooking, travel, and automobilerelated advertising is selected for delivery and presentation to theuser.

Personalized advertising systems generally maintain a profile for agiven user or household associated with a user. The profile is used tostore the general or specific profile information that is obtained fromthe user or about the user from any number of sources. The profileinformation is then used to select advertisements to present to theuser.

While the use of profiles has proven helpful, targeted advertisementshave not heretofore specifically taken into account the fact that manytelevisions are viewed by different groups of people at different times.Televisions are installed in many places, such as offices, hotels,restaurants, train stations, airports, etc., where many different peoplewatch the televisions at different times. For example, one group ofpeople may be in a restaurant for lunch and watch a particulartelevision. A completely different group of people may be in the samerestaurant for dinner and watch the same television. Some of theadvertisements shown on the television may be of interest to some of thepeople in each group but not to others. In fact, in both groups some ofthe people may be bored or irritated by the advertisements.

There are many cases where personalized television advertisements can beconfigured; and in these cases, the television advertisements can bedisplayed based on the configuration. This is more of a static type ofprofile. These types of personalized television advertisements may notbe useful in many places, such as offices, hotels, restaurants, andother places, where the television viewers change rapidly. Theadvertisements shown in these places may create frustration among theviewers, and the advertiser does not benefit from the advertisement.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system, and computerprogram product for selecting an advertisement for play on a specifiedmedia device for one or more users. Each of the one or more users has adefined relationship with the specified media device, and each of theusers has a respective information description stored on a mobilecommunications device of said each user. In one embodiment, the methodcomprises transmitting the respective information description of each ofsaid one or more users from the mobile communications device of saideach user to a provider server, the provider server analyzing theinformation description of said each of the one or more users toidentify an advertisement to play on the specified device, and sendingthe identified advertisement to the specified device for playingthereon. The information description of each user includes a purchaseplan, a purchase profile, and a purchase power of said each user. Thespecified device, in one embodiment, is a television.

In one embodiment, a plurality of the users have said definedrelationship with the specified device, and the transmitting includestransmitting the plurality of the purchase plans of said plurality ofusers from the mobile communications devices of said plurality of usersto the provider server. In this embodiment, the analyzing includesanalyzing said plurality of the purchase plans to identify one or morecommon features of said plurality of the purchase plans. In anembodiment, said one or more common features includes a plurality ofcommon features, and said analyzing further includes ranking said commonfeatures based on a given algorithm.

In an embodiment, the transmitting includes transmitting the purchaseplan of said each user from the mobile communications device of saideach user to the specified media device, and transmitting the purchaseplan of said each user from that specified media device to the providerserver. In one embodiment, the transmitting the purchase plan of saideach user includes transmitting the purchase plan of said each user fromthe mobile communications device of said each user to the specifieddevice when said each user comes within a given distance of thespecified device.

In one embodiment, the transmitting the respective purchase plan furtherincludes the specified device sending a given signal, and said each ofthe mobile communications devices receiving said given signal, and themobile communications device of said each user transmitting the purchaseplan of said each user to the specified media device in response toreceiving the given signal from the specified device.

In an embodiment, for example, at least one of said one or more purchaseplans specifies a time for a purchase, and the analyzing includesselecting the advertisement on the basis of said specified time.

In one embodiment, for example, the specified media device is aspecified television, and said defined relationship is the one or moreuser are all within a given distance of the specified television. In anembodiment, for example, the defined relationship is the one or moreusers are all within a defined area.

In an embodiment of the invention, advertisements are displayed based oncommon purchase profiles and common purchase plans among differentpeople. For example, if multiple persons are watching a televisionprogram together, the advertisements may be displayed based on theircommon purchase requirements.

In one embodiment, a user creates a purchase plan on his mobile phonesoftware, and once the user watches a television program, his purchaseplan is sent to the television through a wireless transmission (from themobile phone). Similarly, the television will gather other such purchaseplans and purchase profiles from different people who are nearby to thetelevision. This information is sent to the television service providerto find common requirements among the people watching the television,and then appropriate television advertisement will be displayed so thateverybody nearby the television can enjoy the advertisement.

If no common products are identified, then close match advertisementscan be displayed. The rule or algorithm that is used to determine whichadvertisements to show can be defined in the television serviceprovider's server.

If only one person is watching the television, then the televisionadvertisement can be displayed based on his purchase plan. The userdefines the purchase plan in his mobile phone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a network incorporating an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows purchase plans of three users.

FIG. 3 illustrates an implementation of an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 comprise a flow chart showing the procedure used in theimplementation of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 shows in more detail a television used in the implementation ofFIG. 3

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mobile communications device that may beused in the embodiment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 illustrates a server used in the system of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventionmay be embodied as a system, method or computer program product.Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present invention may take the form of a computer program productembodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer usableprogram code embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readablemedium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readablemedium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: anelectrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CDROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as thosesupporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device.Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even bepaper or another suitable medium, upon which the program is printed, asthe program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, opticalscanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, orotherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then storedin a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer-usableor computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store,communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.The computer-usable medium may include a propagated data signal with thecomputer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband oras part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may betransmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited towireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in any combination of one or more programminglanguages, including an object oriented programming language such asJava, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer through any type ofnetwork, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (forexample, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

The present invention is described below with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the invention. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may beprovided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purposecomputer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce amachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer programinstructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that candirect a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus tofunction in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored inthe computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture includinginstruction means which implement the function/act specified in theflowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The present invention relates to various structure and functionality fordelivery of targeted assets in a communications network. Such targetedassets are typically provided with network content. In this regard, suchnetwork or broadcast content may be delivered in a variety of waysincluding, for example, cable and satellite television networks,satellite radio networks, IP networks used for multicasting content andnetworks used for podcasts or telephony broadcasts/multicasts. Contentmay also be broadcast over the airwaves though. Thus, while specificexamples are provided below in the context of a cable television networkfor purposes of illustration, it will be appreciated that the inventionis not limited to such contexts but, rather, has application to avariety of networks and transmission modes.

The targeted assets may include any type of asset that is desired to betargeted to network users. It is noted that such targeted assets mayinclude, without limitation, advertisements, internal marketing (e.g.,information about network promotions, scheduling or upcoming events),public service announcements, weather or emergency information, orprogramming. The targeted assets may be independent or included in acontent stream with other assets such as untargeted network programming.In the latter case, the targeted assets may be interspersed/interleavedwith untargeted programming (e.g., provided during programming breaks)or may otherwise be combined with the programming.

For purposes of illustration, the invention is described below in thecontext of cable television network implementations. Components of anexemplary cable television network 100 are depicted in FIG. 1 wheredifferent modalities are utilized to deliver broadcast content tonetwork users. In the illustrated network 100, broadcast content isdistributed to network users via a plurality of network platforms 90.Such network platforms may vary by region, broadcast network and/ornationality. In one arrangement, the network platforms include repeaterstations 92 or satellites 116 that receive broadcast content (e.g.,directly, over-air and/or via satellite transmissions) and repeatbroadcast the content stream to network users/households 150. In anotherarrangement, the broadcast network provides broadcast content via aseries of network platforms.

Such a series of network platforms may include regional/central networkplatforms as well as local platforms. In a cable television networkcontext, such regional/central network platforms may be represented byregional head ends 80. Each of the regional head ends may be operativeto provide broadcast content (e.g., primary distribution) to a pluralityof local head ends 82. Such local head ends 82 may then provide content(e.g., secondary distribution) to network users 150. The asset targetingfunctionality described herein may be implemented at one or more of thenetwork platforms, regional/local head ends, etc.

Generally, the network platforms 90 process received content fortransmission to network users. Among other things, the network platformsmay be operative to amplify, convert and otherwise process the broadcastcontent signals as well as to combine the signals into a common cablefor transmission to network users 150, e.g., individual households. Thenetwork platforms can also process signals from users in a variety ofcontexts. The network platforms may thus be thought of as the controlcenters or local control centers of the cable television network 100. Itwill also be appreciated that local head ends may also be operative toinsert local content from local content providers (e.g., localtelevision stations) and/or local asset providers. The broadcast signalis processed by user equipment devices of the network users, which mayinclude a television, data terminal, a digital set top box, digitalvideo recorder (DVR) or other terminal equipment. It will be appreciatedthat digital or analog signals may be involved in this regard.

The present invention provides the targeted assets based on one or moreuser purchase plans that are sent wirelessly from one or more users to anearby electronic media device, such as a television. In one embodiment,a user creates a purchase plan on his mobile phone software, and oncethe user watches a television program, his purchase plan is sent to thetelevision through a wireless transmission (from the mobile phone).Similarly, the television will gather other such purchase plans andpurchase profiles from different people who are nearby to thetelevision. This information is sent to the television service providerto find common requirements among the people watching the television,and then appropriate television advertisement will be displayed so thateverybody nearby the television can enjoy the advertisement.

FIG. 2 describes, as examples, the purchase plans of users A, B and C,referenced at 200A, 200B and 200C respectively. Each user defines hispurchase plan on his own mobile phone. With the examples of the purchaseplans shown in FIG. 2, a user selected the frequency of purchase, theproduct type, etc, and also defines the possible date of purchase. Inone embodiment, a calendar control wizard may be used to help the userdefine the purchase plan in a variety of ways, such as “one day everymonth,” “the last day of each month,” or by a specified date in eachmonth or each year, etc.

In an embodiment, once the users come close to a television, then themobile phones send (through wireless) the purchase plans to thetelevision. The television gathers all possible purchase plans fromdifferent users in a defined space or position relative to thetelevision, and common purchase requirements among these different usersare identified. Television advertisements are then displayed on thetelevision accordingly.

In an embodiment of the invention, each user also defines a purchaseprofile. This is basically a budget that indicates how much money theuser wants to spend on various items, such as food items, gift items,etc. This information is also sent to the television, and thisinformation is also an important factor to find the appropriateadvertisement.

From the information in the purchase plans shown in FIG. 2, it is clearthat the common products among the users A, B and C are product 1,product 2 and product 3. So, the advertisement that will be displayedwill be based on those products, and then other common products.

The mobile phone software may, in an embodiment, have a Purchase Planand Purchase Profile editor. The user can create/modify/delete thepurchase plan according to his own requirements.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 describe one specific example of the invention, inwhich three different users, 302, 304, 306 come close to a television310. Then, their purchase plans are shared with that television, andthen their common purchase requirements are identified, andadvertisements are shown on the television accordingly.

As represented at step 402 of FIG. 4, the process, in this embodiment ofthe invention, begins when users A, B and C are watching televisiontogether. The users have, as represented at 404 and 406, already definedtheir respective purchase profiles and purchase plans on their mobiletelephones 312, 314, 316.

As represented at 410, once the uses are watching a television programtogether, each individual user's purchase profile and purchase plan aresent automatically to the television 310. This transmission may be donein any suitable way. For example, the purchase profile and purchase planmay be sent via a wireless transmission, just as commands are sent by awireless, remote control for the television.

The television, at step 42, captures the information from users A, B andC (and from all the users who are watching the television), and sendsthis information to the television service provider, represented at 320,(for example, via satellite 322) along with a unique identificationnumber of the television 310. This identification number may be theunique digicom number of the television.

The television Service Provider's server 320, at step 414 and asdepicted at 416, identifies common aspects or features of the purchaseplans and purchase profiles for each unique digicom ID on the captureddata. At step 502, the television Service Provider's server 320 ranksproducts (for advertisement) based on identified common purchase planand common purchase profile. As examples, the following differentparameters may be considered for ranking of the products foradvertisement: common products; possible dates of purchases; comments ofthe users; and whether a particular advertisement has or has not alreadybeen displayed. Many other parameters may also be used.

Common products may be taken into account in a number of ways. Forinstance, with the above-example, one product, Product 1, is commonamong three persons, and another product, Product 2, is common among twopeople. So, Product 1 is ranked first. Possible dates of purchases mayalso be used to determine the appropriate advertisement. For example,even though there might be no common product among the users, if thepossible purchase date of one product is very near, then that productmight be ranked first.

Comments may also be considered for purposes of ranking products oradvertisements. For instance, the purchase plan for one of the usersmight have the comment “Gift item for five year old child.” Here,because “child” is mentioned, a higher priority may be given to theparameter.

As represented at step 504, at the time of an advertisement break in thetelevision programming, the appropriate advertisement is called from thead server 324 and is shown on the television having the above-mentionedunique digicom ID.

In embodiments of the invention, each television, or an associateddevice such as an adaptor or set top-box, can have a unique readableidentification or serial number in order to enable the televisionservice provider to identify each television and to send each televisionthe corresponding targeted advertisements. The unique number for eachtelevision can be encrypted and scrambled, changing its actual numericform in order to protect the privacy of the corresponding televisionviewer or viewers.

As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, anysuitable rule, procedure or algorithm may be used to determine theactual advertisements that are sent to the televisions. Also, whendetermining the appropriate advertisement, information in addition tothe user purchase plan and purchase profile may be considered. Forexample, the location of the television may be used so that the viewersmay be shown targeted, locally oriented advertisement. The algorithm forchoosing the advertisement may also take into account the duration ofthe time interval allocated for each advertisement.

Another factor that may be taken into account, in embodiments of theinvention, is referred to as purchase power. In one case, two users mayidentify the same item but at different prices. For example, User A maywant to purchase a diamond ring within a range of $250-$500, but anotherUser B want to purchase a diamond ring within a range of $3,000-$3,500.Here, User B has more purchase power. In this case, both users may havethe same type of product (diamond ring) in their purchase plans, but asthe prices are different, an advertisement for diamond rings is notshown. Instead, advertisements for other common products or items willbe displayed.

As a second case, User A has a monthly income of $1,000 and User B has amonthly income of $10,000. The provider's server logic may also takethis information into account when identifying the appropriateadvertisement to show to the Users A and B.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a digital television 601 (“TV”) that may beused in system. The TV 601 includes a controller 602 (e.g., controlsection or control means), a tuner 603 (e.g., reception section orreception means), a demodulator 604, a decoder 605, a video synthesizer606, D/A converter 608, a display component 609, a speaker 610, acontrol interface 611, a data memory 614 (e.g., memory section or memorymeans), and a memory component 615 (e.g., memory section or memorymeans).

The controller 602 controls the operation of the various components ofthe TV 601. The tuner 603 receives television broadcast signals ofdigital television broadcast for selected channels via an antenna 630,and the demodulator 604 demodulates the received television broadcastsignal into digital data. The decoder 605 separates the demodulateddigital data into video data and audio data, and expands both types ofdata, and the video synthesizer 606 synthesizes an image based on thevideo data and a desired OSD (On Screen Display) image. The D/Aconverter 608 converts signals for the video data and audio data intoanalog signals, and the control interface 611 receives user inputs froma remote controller. The data memory 614 stores registered information,such as a channel list associating selected channel numbers with thetelevision broadcast signals, etc, and the memory component 615 storescontrol programs for the TV 601. The display component 609 displaysimages on a screen based on the video data. The speaker 610 outputssound based on the audio data.

The controller 602 includes a microprocessor, for example. Thecontroller 602 has a RAM (not shown) as a work field for expanding dataand so forth to be processed by the control programs, and a clock (notshown) for keeping track of the current time in the controller 602. Thecontrol interface 611 has a light receiver that receives a signal sentfrom the remote controller. The control interface and the remotecontroller have the same keys for operating the TV 601. As examples, thedata memory 614 includes an EEPROM, and the memory component 615includes a ROM.

FIG. 7 illustrates a mobile communications device 701 that may be usedin the practice of the present invention. The mobile device is a two-waycommunication device having data and voice communication capabilities,and the capability to communicate with other computer systems, forexample, via the Internet. Depending on the functionality provided bythe mobile device 701, in various embodiments, the device 701 may be amultiple-mode communication device configured for both data and voicecommunication, a smartphone, a mobile telephone or a PDA (personaldigital assistant) enabled for wireless communication, or a computersystem with a wireless modem.

The mobile device 701 includes a rigid case (not shown) housing thecomponents of the device 701. The internal components of the device 701are constructed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The mobile device 701includes a controller comprising at least one processor 740 (such as amicroprocessor) which controls the overall operation of the device 701.The processor 740 interacts with device subsystems such as acommunication subsystem 711 for exchanging radio frequency signals witha wireless network to perform communication functions. A transmitter 716is provided to send and receive data wirelessly. A separate infraredtransmitter may be provided for infrared transmissions, as are done by astandard remote control for a television.

The processor 740 interacts with additional device subsystems includinga display (screen) 704 such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen,input devices 706 such as a keyboard and control buttons, flash memory744, random access memory (RAM) 746, read only memory (ROM) 748,auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 750, data port 752 such asserial data port, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) data port,speaker 756, microphone 758, short-range communication subsystem 762,and other device subsystems generally designated as 764. Some of thesubsystems shown in FIG. 7 perform communication-related functions,whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-device functions.

The device 701 may comprise a touchscreen display in some embodiments.The touchscreen display may be constructed using a touch-sensitive inputsurface connected to an electronic controller and which overlays thedisplay screen 704. The touch-sensitive overlay and the electroniccontroller provide a touch-sensitive input device and the processor 740interacts with the touch-sensitive overlay via the electroniccontroller.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a data processing system that may beimplemented as a server, such as server 320 or server 322 in FIG. 3, inaccordance with the present invention. Data processing system 800 may bea symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality ofprocessors 802 and 804 connected to system bus 806. Alternatively, asingle processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus806 is memory controller/cache 808, which provides an interface to localmemory 809. I/O bus bridge 810 is connected to system bus 806 andprovides an interface to I/O bus 812. Memory controller/cache 808 andI/O bus bridge 810 may be integrated as depicted.

Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge 814 connected to I/Obus 812 provides an interface to PCI local bus 816. A number of modems818-820 may be connected to PCI bus 816. Typical PCI bus implementationssupport four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communicationslinks to network computers may be provided through modem 818 and networkadapter 820 connected to PCI local bus 816 through add-in boards.Additional PCI bus bridges 822 and 824 provide interfaces for additionalPCI buses 826 and 828, from which additional modems or network adaptersmay be supported. In this manner, server 800 allows connections tomultiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter 830 andhard disk 832 may also be connected to I/O bus 812 as depicted, eitherdirectly or indirectly.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardwaredepicted in FIG. 8 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, suchas optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition or inplace of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant toimply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.The data processing system depicted in FIG. 8 may be, for example, anIBM RISC/System 6000, a product of International Business MachinesCorporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the Advanced Interactive Executive(AIX) operating system.

While it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is wellcalculated to fulfill the objectives discussed above, it will beappreciated that numerous modifications and embodiments may be devisedby those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the appended claimscover all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the truespirit and scope of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of selecting an advertisement forplay on a specified device to a defined group of users, wherein eachuser of the group of users has a purchase plan defined by said each userstored on a mobile communications device of said each user, the methodcomprising: transmitting the user defined purchase plan of each user ofsaid group of users from the mobile communications device of said eachuser to a provider server; the provider server analyzing the userdefined purchase plans received from the mobile communications devicesof said group of users to identify an advertisement to play on thespecified device; and sending the identified advertisement to thespecified device for playing thereon to said group of users; andwherein: the purchase plan of each user identifies one or more productsand specified purchase information; the analyzing the user definedpurchase plans includes: ranking a plurality of the products identifiedin the purchase plans received from the group of users based oninformation in said purchase plans received from the mobilecommunications devices of said group of users, including using thespecified purchase information in the purchase plans received from themobile communications devices of the group of users to rank theidentified products; and identifying the advertisement based on saidranking of the products identified in the purchase plans received fromthe mobile communication devices; and said plurality of products areidentified as products in common among the users by being identified inthe purchase plans of two or more of the users.
 2. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting the purchaseplans of said each user from the mobile communications device of saideach user to the specified device.
 3. The method according to claim 2,wherein the transmitting the purchase plans further includestransmitting the purchase plans of said each user from the specifieddevice to the provider server.
 4. The method according to claim 2,wherein the transmitting the purchase plan of said each user includestransmitting the purchase plan of said each user from the mobilecommunications device of said each user to the specified device whensaid each user comes within a given distance of the specified device. 5.The method according to claim 2, wherein the transmitting the purchaseplans further includes: the specified device sending a given signal;said each of the mobile communications devices receiving said givensignal; and the mobile communications device of said each usertransmitting the purchase plan of said each user to the specified devicein response to receiving the given signal from the specified device. 6.The method according to claim 1, wherein: at least one of said purchaseplans specifies a time for a purchase; and the analyzing includesselecting the advertisement on the basis of said specified time.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6, wherein: the information description ofeach user identifies a purchase power of said each user; and theanalyzing includes selecting the advertisement on the basis of saidpurchase power.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein thespecified device is a specified television, and the one or more user areall within a given distance of the specified television.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the specified device is a specifiedtelevision, and the one or more users are all within a defined area. 10.The method according to claim 1, wherein: the specified device is atelevision, and all of the users of said group of users are watching thetelevision; the ranking includes ranking the products based on a numberof the purchase that identify each of the products; and the purchaseplan of each user specifies a plurality of product purchases by saideach user, dates of purchases, a monthly income of the user, and offeredprices for the products.
 11. The method recording to claim 1, wherein:the ranking a plurality of the products identified in the purchase plansincludes ranking each of the plurality of the products relative to theothers of the plurality of the products; and said ranking is based onspecified words in the purchase plans, and a defined purchase power ofeach user of the group of users.
 12. The method according to claim 1,wherein: the specified device is a television, and all of the users ofsaid group of users are watching the television; the ranking includesranking the products, identified as in common among the users, based ona number of the information descriptions that identify each of saidproducts in common among the users; and the information description ofeach user specifies a plurality of product purchases by said each user,specifies possible dates of future purchases, a monthly income of theuser, and prices offered by the users for the products.
 13. A system forselecting an advertisement for play to a group of users, comprising: aspecified device for playing electronic media, and wherein each user ofthe group of users has a defined relationship with the specified device;one or more mobile communications devices, wherein each user of thegroup of users has one of the mobile communication devices and arespective purchase plan defined by said each user stored thereon, theuser defined purchase plan of each user identifying one or more productsand specified purchase information; and a provider server for receivingthe purchase information of each user of said group of users from themobile communications devices of the users, and for analyzing the userdefined purchase plans received from the mobile communications devicesof said each of the one or more users to identify an advertisement toplay on the specified device; and wherein: the identified advertisementis sent to and played on the specified device for said group of users;the analyzing the user defined purchase plans includes: ranking saidproducts identified from the products identified in the purchase plansof the group of users based on information in said purchase plansreceived from the mobile communications devices of said group of users,including using the specified purchase information in the purchase plansreceived from the mobile communications devices of the group of users torank the identified products; and identifying the advertisement based onsaid ranking of the products identified in the purchase plans receivedfrom the mobile communication devices; and said plurality of productsare identified as products in common among the users by being identifiedin the purchase plans of two or more of the users.
 14. The systemaccording to claim 13, wherein: the provider server receives thepurchase plans of the group of users from the mobile communicationsdevices of said group of users, analyzes said purchase plans to identifyone or more common products of said purchase plans, and selects theadvertisement to play on the specified device on the basis of said oneor more common products.
 15. The system according to claim 13, whereinthe specified device receives the purchase plans of said each user fromthe mobile communications device of said each user and transmits saidpurchase plans to the provider server.
 16. The system according to claim13, wherein the purchase plan of said each user is transmitted from themobile communications device of said each user to the specified devicewhen said each user comes within a given distance of the specifieddevice.
 17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the specifieddevice is a specified television, and the one or more users are allwithin a defined area relative to said specified television.
 18. Anarticle of manufacture comprising: at least one tangible computerreadable hardware device having computer readable program code logictangibly embodied therein to execute machine instructions in one or moreprocessing units for selecting an advertisement for play on a specifieddevice to a defined group of users, wherein each user of the group ofusers has a respective purchase plan defined by said each user stored ona mobile communications device of said each user, the user definedpurchase plan of each user identifying one or more products andspecified purchase information, said computer readable program codelogic, when executing, performing the following: receiving and storingthe respective user defined purchase plan of each user of said group ofusers, from the mobile communications device of said each user, in aprovider server; at the provider server, analyzing the user definedpurchase plans sent from the mobile communications devices of said eachof the users to identify an advertisement to play on the specifieddevice; and sending the identified advertisement to the specified devicefor playing thereon to said group of users; and wherein: the analyzingthe user defined purchase plans includes: ranking the productsidentified in the purchase plans of the group of users based oninformation in said purchase plans received from the mobilecommunications devices of said group of users, including using thespecified purchase information in the purchase plans received from themobile communications devices of the group of users to rank theidentified products; and identifying the advertisement based on saidranking of the products identified in the purchase plans received fromthe mobile communication devices; and said plurality of products areidentified as products in common among the users by being identified inthe purchase plans of two or more of the users.
 19. The article ofmanufacture according to claim 18, wherein: the analyzing includesanalyzing said plurality of the information descriptions to identify oneor more common features of said plurality of the purchase plans.
 20. Thearticle of manufacture according to claim 19, wherein: the purchase planof each user specifies a plurality of product purchases by said eachuser, dates of purchases, a monthly income of the user, and offeredprices for the products; and the ranking includes ranking said commonproducts based on identified comments from one of the users, said datesof purchases, the monthly income of the user, and the offered prices forthe products.